Charlotte, N.C. -- The joke began circulating minutes after Michael Jordan hired Larry Brown: The demanding Hall of Fame coach will want to trade everybody on the Charlotte Bobcats' roster before opening night. A little over a year later, Brown, a former Pistons coach, is more than halfway there. Emeka Okafor became the latest ex-Bobcat under Brown -- joining a growing list that includes Jason Richardson, Adam Morrison, Sean May, Jared Dudley and Matt Carroll. Tyson Chandler, acquired from New Orleans Tuesday for Okafor, becomes the 27th player to dot Charlotte's roster since the start of last season. Advertisement

It's uncertain if the moves will be enough to make the Bobcats a playoff team in the improved Eastern Conference. But while Jordan and general manager Rod Higgins sign off on personnel moves, clearly Brown has been given plenty of power. "The biggest thing when you're building a team and you don't necessarily have the depth of the more established teams, you've got to find guys that can play more than one position," Brown said. "That's what we're trying to do. If you look at our team, Boris Diaw can do that, Gerald Wallace can do that, Tyson can do that. I think the more guys that can be in that kind of situation the more flexibility you have."

"Positives / What he brings: Leadership, professionalism, game manager, and clutch performer. Billups has developed himself into one of the premier point guards in the NBA over his career. He got there the old fashioned way ... hard work and dedication. He knows when to get his teammates involved and specifically which players need to be brought into the mix offensively. He'll also pick up the scoring lulls himself and has an uncanny ability of getting to the foul line when his team needs to quiet a hostile crowd or get an easy two points. And once Billups is at the freebie line ... he's deadly.

Billups' numbers show he's a model of consistency. Over the last seven seasons his scoring average has only fluctuated between 16.2 to 18.5 and his assists over the last six seasons between 5.7 to 8.6 per game. You know what you are going to get from Billups and because of that he can at times fly under the radar.

Negatives / What needs to improve: The knock on Billups has supposedly been that he wears down as the season progresses. Let's take a look:

I don't see the drop off in his play ... especially when you consider his playoff numbers.

The only real knock that I found myself having with Billups was his tendency to get a little shot happy at times. But I feel that pointing this out is like pointing out that you only got 8'' television screens in your new Hummer versus 12'' ones."

Rasheed WallaceAge: 34Years in the League: 14Statistical Peak: 2001-2002 seasonThe Celtics picked up ‘Sheed for the mid-level exception, which makes them look a lot smarter than Orlando (who gave up both Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston for Carter), though out of the three Cleveland probably got an even better deal (giving up only Sasha Pavlovic and a retiring-anyway Ben Wallace for the Diesel).Wallace does fill a weak roster spot for the Leprechauns, but may be flying on his reputation more than his recent performance. His scoring and field goal percentage are at career lows (okay, he scored fewer points as a rookie, but we’ll let that slide), and he’s not getting fouled at the same rate.His embarrassing 6.5 points per game in the playoffs, while his Detroit Pistons were getting defiled by the Cavaliers, should tell the whole story.For Boston’s sake, hopefully the Stephon Marbury experiment wasn’t a fluke and they really do have the chemistry to handle poor locker room guys. Because if Rasheed doesn’t produce in the middle, he’s just a handful of technical fouls and some pre-game trash talk.If You're an NBA Has-Been, This Offseason is For You | Bleacher Report

"LAS VEGAS -- He stood out, which you would expect of Isiah Thomas.The Henderson International School gym, a sweatbox of a hoops court with maybe eight rows of bleachers on one side and folding chairs doubling as the bench on the other, isn't where you'd expect to find a former NBA Finals MVP and 11-time All-Star.

Except on this steamy July Wednesday, it wasn't who he is that made Thomas easy to find. He was easy to find because of what he was wearing.

In a sea of school-emblazoned golf shirts and T-shirts lacking only the work of a BeDazzler to draw attention to them, Thomas stood out in a pale blue-checked shirt, a pair of navy blue dress pants and loafers.

There was not a single stitch representing Florida International on him -- not a logo, not an emblem, not even his new employer's initials.

Understand the significance of this -- ubermarketer Tom Crean had T-shirts specifically made for the July recruiting period, with an intersecting IU on the front and "It's Indiana" printed on the back so "kids could see us coming and going."

Coaches don't endure a 12-hour case of bleacher butt to evaluate talent so much as to baby-sit the talent they've already evaluated. This is a place to be seen.As he hugged the side railing near the door, Thomas was taking a major risk in his anonymity … which would, of course, be the case if he weren't Isiah Thomas."

Not The Answer: 5 reasons Allen Iverson is still unsigned Hoopsvibe.com

"Everyone has a theory why Allen Iverson is unsigned.

Shouldn’t a perennial All-Star, former MVP, and one of the game’s great little men have a team by the second month of free agency? Doesn’t ‘The Godfather’ of the NBA’s hip-hop generation and a powerful box office draw deserve more respect than the Mid Level Exception from mid level squads? And why hasn’t a legit contender recognized his heart and shown love by tendering a short term contract?

Nothing is ever simple with Iverson. Remember, his great high school career was overshadowed by the fallout from that bowling alley brawl. In college, there were rumours of impropriety, which included rolling in a ‘loaner’ Mercedes before officially declaring pro. Once in the NBA, there were many ups and a few very public downs –like leaving the Detroit Pistons last year under, well, interesting circumstances.

Baggage and controversy aside, Iverson is too talented to be without a team. After all, he’s just two seasons removed from averaging 25 points per game for Denver.

No way I ever want a guy who took a loaner car before "officially" turning pro on my team. Good riddance.

Nothing is ever simple with Iverson. Remember, his great high school career was overshadowed by the fallout from that bowling alley brawl. In college, there were rumours of impropriety, which included rolling in a ‘loaner’ Mercedes before officially declaring pro.

There was some questions about whether Dice lost $'s on the trade to Denver... This is what I came up with:

The last two years of Dice's contract was for 12.8 Mil

He received a 6M buyout from the Nuggets + a trade kicker (prorated)... that brought his two year salary up to apprx. 15M The Pistons picked up Dice for the vet min at 1.3M The Spurs are paying Dice 5.85M this year

So with his trade kicker and the new Spurs contract Dice went from 12.8 M to 15.35 M for the two years. Plus he got another year at the full MLE from the Spurs.... he did well for himself

The bizarre 'afro' hairstyle PHIL SPECTOR sported for his earliest murder trial dates was a tribute to the record mogul's favourite sports star, according to his wife Rachelle.

The producer, who is now surviving hard time for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, hit the headlines in 2005 by showing up in court with wild hair, but his young wife insists the style was a carefully planned nod to then-Detroit Pistons star Ben Wallace.

Rachelle Spector says, "During that time we were watching a lot of basketball and he really liked Ben Wallace... and so it (hair) kept getting a little bit bigger and bigger and it got a little out of hand."

2 Of America's Most Unwanted: Iverson and Vick Look For Work Bleacher Report - Matt Smith

"It is understandable why teams are hesitant to sign either of these players. The crimes Vick committed are horrifying to many and even with him serving his time in prison Vick is a public relations nightmare. Iverson's performance in Detroit and his refusal to become a 6th man or come of the bench doesn't help his cause nor does the fact that he is a volume shooter that dominates the ball to his teams detriment.

Professional sports is made up of great athletes but these two were blessed with an off the charts amount of natural abilities that you can't coach. The speed and elusiveness they both possess is a thing of sports beauty.

Michael Vick had the potential to revolutionize the quarterback position but through his own poor decisions sabotaged his own career. Iverson has wowed on the court since he joined the league and is respected as one of the greatest players who ever lived, I think he's the second greatest little man in NBA history (second to Isiah Thomas, who also seems to be in the business of ruining his image) but the "Answer" has become more of a "Question".

The questions being, will Allen Iverson help my team win? Is A.I. worth the money? Will Iverson set a bad example for my young players? (If no NBA team wants Iverson, maybe he can go run the "Wildcat" for Parcells)"

"Having suffered the denial of Nate Robinson, who prefers to continue his NBA career, and the young Spanish prodigy Ricky Rubio, who would join FC Barcelona, Olympiakos Piraeus allegedly threw his heart on Allen Iverson. The Greek club have proposed a two-year contract for $ 10 million to The Answer."​

"For the first time this summer Allen Iverson has received an offer close to his liking, just not from an NBA team. Olympiacos is reportedly close to proposing a two-year contract worth $10 million to Iverson, the exact same deal that Nate Robinson turned down.

Olympiacos presents a very lucrative and interesting option for Iverson, who hasn't been treated well by free agency so far. Few teams have been open to the idea of signing Iverson and those who are aren't willing to make a major commitment.

Iverson has a lot working against him right now as he's opposed to coming off the bench and still feels like he's a star despite his decaying skills. NBA teams won't be open to signing him to a long-term contract until he opens up to accepting a smaller role.

Judging by what Iverson is looking for Olympiacos may be the best place for him. Not only are they bringing more money and years to the table, but with them he'd also be a star. Iverson would undoubtedly start for the team and be the featured player offensively with the green light to do as he pleases.

The main competition in the NBA for Olympiacos is the Miami HEAT and New York Knicks. Both franchises are in need of a starting point guard and definitely have some minutes available for A.I. However, neither of them would give Iverson more than a one-year deal for a portion of the mid-level exception.

It's always nice to have security and a fallback plan, which is really what Olympiacos provides for Iverson. It's unlikely that Iverson accepts the deal even though it's significantly more than anything that has come from an NBA team. Iverson is a family man now though, making packing up and moving to Greece for a few months extremely tough. Sure the money is better, but you can't put a price on being close to your family and it's not like Iverson is hurting financially anyway.

Most importantly, there's unfinished business for Iverson in the NBA. He's been too successful over the past 13 years to go out on a note like he did with the Detroit Pistons. Iverson basically served as the scapegoat for their nightmare season because of his inability to adapt to his new teammates and coaching staff.

The final stages of a career always play a major role with the legacy that is left behind. The 2001 NBA Finals appearance and scoring titles are becoming a distant memory as Iverson struggles. Everyone knows that he can score and that he's one of the toughest players to ever play the game. Now it's time for him to do the one thing that few people think he can do: be the ultimate teammate.

Whether it be the Knicks, HEAT, Grizzlies, or Clippers that Iverson ultimately signs on with its time for him to change his mindset. If Iverson can accept less minutes and shot attempts while helping a young team take the next step he may find the open market much more rewarding next summer. Everyone reaches a point in their career where they have to adjust and change and for Iverson this is it if he wants to be remembered as one of the best."

I've hoped that Iverson would just remake himself just to preserve his legacy. He really needs to do this as the options for starters glory just aren't there. I'd hate to see him go out as the Piston's escapegoat.

I've hoped that Iverson would just remake himself just to preserve his legacy. He really needs to do this as the options for starters glory just aren't there. I'd hate to see him go out as the Piston's escapegoat.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately for him by acting the way he did over the last 5 months that he wore a Pistons jersey, he will preserve the legacy he'd already forged, a legacy of a tough little talented guard with an out-sized ego and a serious selfish streak.

Think about it, this cat signed two max contracts in his career. Most guys are lucky to get one and he got two! He's rolling in money. If he seriously cared about ever winning a championship he would've found it in himself to act differently than he did with Detroit last season. To allow himself to not only sit out the last month of the regular season but not even be available suit-up for the play-offs? While collecting $250K for each game that went by? That's all she wrote.

He should'a been trying to hook-up with a real contender for this season no matter how small the contract - he doesn't need the money - he needs the respect. But his definition of respect is MONEY and starter minutes, a tough sell this year. In a different year, he might'a pulled it off, but this season all the contenders believe they have PG's that are less high maintenence and less prone to creating roster dysfunction.

I think Greece would be a good career move if he's looking for 35 minutes a night and as much as he can make. I say good riddance to bad mojo..

Unfortunately for him by acting the way he did over the last 5 months that he wore a Pistons jersey, he will preserve the legacy he'd already forged, a legacy of a tough little talented guard with an out-sized ego and a serious selfish streak.

Think about it, this cat signed two max contracts in his career. Most guys are lucky to get one and he got two! He's rolling in money. If he seriously cared about ever winning a championship he would've found it in himself to act differently than he did with Detroit last season. To allow himself to not only sit out the last month of the regular season but not even be available suit-up for the play-offs? While collecting $250K for each game that went by? That's all she wrote.

He should'a been trying to hook-up with a real contender for this season no matter how small the contract - he doesn't need the money - he needs the respect. But his definition of respect is MONEY and starter minutes, a tough sell this year. In a different year, he might'a pulled it off, but this season all the contenders believe they have PG's that are less high maintenence and less prone to creating roster dysfunction.

I think Greece would be a good career move if he's looking for 35 minutes a night and as much as he can make. I say good riddance to bad mojo..

Click to expand...

I agree, but you never know about ballplayers and their money. It is assumed that he doesnt need the money, you never know. As Patrick Ewing said, we make a lot of money and we spent a lot of money.

Awfully good post G man. (And don't award me the bloody kiss azz badge for that comment). I agree with you. Good riddance. He brought this all on himself. These guys like Sheed think they are entitled to the money and can just sit on their lazy spoiled whiney butts and collect the money. I guess they can, huh?

Oh, and you've probably totally pizzed off some folks with your post. I say good on you.